Puu
by OuterGoddesses
Summary: Setsuna reflects on her life of lonliness and find romance


Title: Puu  
Author: Wind Water Time & Death  
E-mail: OuterGoddesses@yahoo.com  
Rated: PG  
Summary: Setsuna reflects on her lives of   
loneliness and finally finds romance.  
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not mine.  
  
  
Puu  
  
  
  
Setsuna opened her eyes as her alarm clock rang   
close to her ear. She reached over and turned it   
off and continued to stare up at the ceiling. The   
sound of Haruka and Michiru's playful laughter   
outside of her door made her sigh.  
  
She slowly got out of bed and went to her closet.   
'Another day at the lab,' she thought as she   
selected a pair of black dress slacks, white poets  
blouse, and a black vest. She reached over to the  
little shelves Haruka had built in and removed a   
pair of knee highs.  
  
Throwing the clothes she would wear to work on the  
bed, she grabbed up her dark green robe and headed  
for the wash room. "Are any of you about to go in   
here?" she asked.  
  
Haruka and Michiru stopped at their door and   
looked at Setsuna. "No," the two lovers chorused   
and ran in their room.  
  
'They're off to an early start,' Setsuna thought   
with an edge of jealousy. With a heavy sigh she   
locked herself in the washroom and turned on the   
shower. She stared at her reflection for a long   
moment before getting out of her PJ's and into the  
shower. Why didn't she have anyone...why did   
everyone else seem to have somebody?  
  
She let the cool water run over her body as she   
began to think of her years as a Sailor Soldier.   
For many centries she guarded the time gate alone   
on her home planet of Pluto, with no one there to   
talk to or to love her...she should be used to   
lonliness by now.  
  
When she got out of the shower, she went to her   
room and slowly got dressed for another day in   
the lab. She grabbed her notebook and started for   
the door. Michiru's playful giggle could be heard   
out in the hallway. Luckily, Hotaru had stayed   
over with Chibi-usa.  
  
Setsuna sighed wistfully and went out the door.   
Her steps were heavy as she made her way to the   
lab. Once she arrived, she slipped on her lab coat  
and went to her experiment.  
  
"Bright an early as always Meioh-san," a man's   
voice said.  
  
Setsuna blushed and gave the professor a sweet   
smile as she nodded. "Yes, Professor Tomoe."  
  
She could hardly believe that he had once been one  
of the senshi's enemies. But, it hadn't really   
been him...he had been possessed by a power hungry  
monster, she reminded herself.   
  
The Professor walked over, he had a small limp and  
was using a walking stick. "And what are you   
working on today?" he asked.  
  
"The usual," she replied, giving him a small   
smile. She tried to keep her attention on the   
plants she was working with instead of the man   
standing next to her. The plants were infected   
with a new disease and she was working on a   
solution to help them fight it off. She filled a   
dropper with the solution she had mixed the night   
before and dripped a few drops on one of the   
leaves.  
  
"Your sempai must be jealous of all the time you   
spend here," he smiled.  
  
"I do not have one...work and Hotaru take up all   
my time," Setsuna replied. "Not that I mind...   
Hotaru is a blessing to myself and my housemates."  
  
"How is Hotaru?" Professor Tomoe asked softly.  
  
"She's thriving," Setsuna said with a hint of   
pride. "But she misses you."  
  
"I feel confidant that you and your friends are   
taking good care of her in ways I never will be   
able to..." the professor said slowly. "I can   
barely take care of myself with this injury..." He  
nodded toward his permanently injured leg. He put   
a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you...Maybe I   
should find someone like you to help me..." He   
sighed heavily. "But no woman would want me in   
this condition."  
  
He started to walk off.  
  
"Professor..." Setsuna called softly. She smiled   
when he turned. "I think you may be wrong about   
that assumption. You are kind man...any woman   
would be lucky to call you her husband. But there   
would be the problem of finding a woman that   
Hotaru gets along with...So that she would adjust   
easily..."  
  
"The only one I have in mind gets along perfectly   
with my daughter," Professor Tomoe smiled, then   
walked out of the lab. "Oh, and Happy Birthday   
Meioh-san."  
  
There was something about the glimmer in his eyes   
that made Setsuna's heart jump into her throat.   
Had he been talking about her? She thought about   
asking him, but she was on the clock until 4 p.m.  
  
She would ask him then...if he was still there   
that is...  
  
~@~@~@~@~@~  
  
On her way home, Setsuna's lonliness began to eat   
at her mind again. She had missed being able to   
see the professor before leaving. Odds were, none   
of her friends had remembered her birthday either.  
Not that she minded, she sort of dreaded the idea   
of a big party from the other senshi...  
  
She slid her key into the lock and turned it.  
  
"Hello?" she called as she went into the house.   
"Anyone home?"  
  
"In here!" Hotaru's voice called form the kitchen.  
  
She walked to the kitchen and beamed a smile at   
her fellow Outer Senshi. The three of them were   
gathered around a cake with chocolate frosting   
that said 'Happy Birthday Puu!!!' in dark green   
icing. Five candles in the shape of a 4, 1, 7, 2,   
and 0 were in the middle, burning in the middle of  
the cake.  
  
"Come on Setsuna-mama, blow out the candles and   
make a wish!" Hotaru beamed.  
  
Setsuna held her hair back as she bent down to   
blow out the candles. The doorbell rang. "I'll get  
it," Hotaru smiled and ran into the living room.   
Haruka quickly removed all the candles except for   
the 2 and 0 and smoothed out the frosting with her  
finger.  
  
A few minutes later, Hotaru returned holding her   
biological father's hand. The child had been   
careful to take slow steps so that he could keep   
up with her. "Look who's here Setsuna-mama,"   
Hotaru said with pride.  
  
Professor Tomoe bowed politely to the others in   
the room. He took a red rose from his lapel and   
gave it to Setsuna when he greeted her. Both of   
the adults blushed slightly at the transaction.  
  
"What brings you here Professor?" Haruka asked   
with a grin.  
  
"I've come to see if I could take my daughter out   
for dinner," he replied.  
  
The older senshi looked at each other. Haruka and   
Michiru smiled and nodded. Setsuna became all to   
aware that the others were looking at her.  
  
"What was the question?" she asked.  
  
"May I take Hotaru out for dinner tonight?" the   
professor asked.  
  
"Of course," Setsuna said with a bright smile.  
  
Hotaru looked up at her father. "Can Setsuna-mama   
come too Papa?"  
  
"I couldn't possibly..." Setsuna started.  
  
"Yes," Tomoe smiled. "It would be nice for her to   
join us...that is...if she would like to."  
  
Setsuna blushed again when the professor gave her   
a grin.  
  
"Let's go get ready Setsuna-mama," Hotaru said,   
pulling Setsuna from the kitchen. Before Hotaru   
headed to her room she added, "Wear something   
pretty. Papa always takes me to a nice resturant   
when he takes me to dinner."  
  
"What would you suggest?" Setsuna asked in a tone   
similar to Hotaru's soft whisper.  
  
"The pretty black dress," Hotaru smiled and ran   
down the hall to her own room. "The one with all   
the laces." Setsuna slowly went into her room and   
began to plunder through her closet to find the   
dress her adopted daughter was talking about. She   
finally found it at the back of the closet, hidden  
away. She pulled it out of the wardobe bag and   
held it against her frame as she looked into her   
mirror.  
  
"I hope this still fits," she muttered and pulled   
some black under-garments from her shelves along   
with a pair of black hose. "I hope I can remember   
how to lace this thing up." She eyed the laces   
that went up the sides and front of the dress   
wearily before starting to get ready. When she had  
almost compeleted getting ready, she looked in her  
mirror again. "I look more like a sadistic   
vixen... but oh well," she sighed, lacing up the   
front of the dress.  
  
A tiny knock sounded at the door as she tied off   
the lace. Hotaru peeped her head in and smiled.   
"You look pretty Setsuna-mama."  
  
"Thank you," Setsuna replied, not wanting to tell   
Hotaru what she thought of the person she was   
seeing in the mirror.  
  
Hotaru walked to Setsuna's jewelry box and opened   
it slowly. "I think you should wear these," she   
said, pulling out a pair of dangling dark-green   
emerald earrings. She pulled out a silver necklace  
with a green emerald pendant on it. "This too.   
They compliment your garnet colored eyes."  
  
Setsuna hesitantly took the peices of jewelry. She  
never knew she had those earrings and that   
necklace... maybe they were some older jewelry   
she'd forgotten she owned... Once she was done she  
looked in the mirror again. Something about the   
jewels had transformed her image as a vixen into   
an image of a distinguished, but an exteremly   
mysterious, Mona Lisa type.  
  
Hotaru gave her the rose and she put it in her   
hair.  
  
"Are you ready?" Setsuna asked.  
  
Hotaru nodded and took her hand. The two decended   
the stairs. Dr. Tomoe was waiting patiently at the  
bottom of the stairs. When he looked up, his jaw   
dropped. Setsuna cast a glance at her fellow   
senshi, Haruka's mouth was hanging open as well.  
  
When Michiru noticed Haruka's expression, she   
nudged her lifemate's arm. Haruka sweatdropped and  
closed her mouth, while giving Michiru a sweet,   
apologetic smile.  
  
"Doesn't she look pretty Papa?" Hotaru asked.  
  
The only thing the professor could do was give an   
open-mouthed nod. "You look pretty too Hotaru."   
Hotaru grasped the skirt of dark purple silk dress  
and gave her Papa a curtsey. "Arigatou Papa."  
  
"Be sure to have them home before midnight,"   
Haruka teased as the three started out the door.  
  
~@~@~@~@~  
  
"Hotaru!!! Puu!!!"  
  
Setsuna and Hotaru both turned at the sound of   
Chibi-usa's voice. The pink haired girl waved from  
the table she was sharing with her future parents.  
Usagi and Mamoru were too busy staring into each   
other's eyes to notice Chibiusa's behavior.  
  
Only when Chibi-usa bounded out of her chair and   
ran over, did the future King and Queen look away   
from each other.  
  
"Setsuna, Hotaru, Professor," Usagi smiled. Her   
voice turned into a low growl, "Chibi-usa."  
  
Chibiusa hugged Hotaru then smiled, "She sounds   
mad so I had better go back over there."  
  
"That would be a good choice Small Lady," Setsuna   
said with a pleasant smile.  
  
The waiter showed them to a table next to Usagi   
and Mamoru's. Setsuna opened the menu and glupped   
when she looked at the prices. She quickly hunted   
down the least expensive item on the menu and   
frowned when it turned out that it was something   
that had eggplant in it.  
  
"It's all so expensive..." she commented.  
  
The professor put his hand on hers. "Do not worry   
about the price Meioh-san," he smiled. "I'm paying  
for it."  
  
"Please call me Setsuna, Professor," Setsuna said   
softly.  
  
"Only if you call me Souichi," he replied.  
  
Hotaru whispered a suggestion for what to order.   
"It's really good and doesn't cost a lot."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Escargo...it's a delicacy in France," Hotaru   
explained. "They're snails, still in the shell.   
Papa got me addicted to them the first time he   
brought me here."  
  
"Arigatou," Setsuna whispered and set down her   
menu.  
  
The table was quiet until Hotaru decided to make   
conversation. "Isn't Setsuna-mama pretty Papa?"  
  
"Yes, she is," Souichi replied.  
  
"I knew you would say that," Hotaru beamed.   
"You've been staring at her for five minutes   
straight."  
  
Before Tomoe could explain, the waiter arrived to   
take their orders.   
  
"Would you like for me to bring the wine out now   
sir or wait until your meal is served?"  
  
"Now please," Souichi smiled.  
  
Setsuna was aware of several people looking toward  
their table then whispering to each other.   
"Souichi-san...Do the other people always stare in  
your direction?"  
  
"I do not think it's me they're looking at,"   
Souichi said with a small glimmer in his eyes.   
"What about you Hotaru?"  
  
"I think they're looking at Setsuna-mama," Hotaru   
beamed.  
  
The violinist approached their table. "May we play  
a song for Monsiour Tomoe, his lovely wife, and   
beautiful daughter?" the musician asked, waving   
his hand toward the quartet close to the dance   
floor.  
  
Setsuna blushed a deep shade of red. "I'm   
not...his wife," she managed to say.  
  
Souichi smiled and nodded. He lend close and   
whispered to Setsuna, "Do not worry about the   
mistake. They often think anyone I bring along is   
a friend or something...Though this is the first   
time they have thought my guest was my wife."  
  
When the waiter returned with the wine, the two   
suddenly realized that Hotaru was missing from the   
table. They spotted her close by on the dance   
floor, teaching Chibiusa to waltz. Usagi and   
Mamoru were close by, holding each other close as   
they softly swayed to the gentle sound of the   
violins and cello.  
  
"I didn't know Hotaru could waltz," Souichi   
commented.  
  
"Her Haruka-papa taught her," Setsuna replied   
softly. "I never really caught on..."  
  
"She is very close to your housemates as well?"  
  
"Hai," Setsuna replied with a soft nod. "I'm not   
sure what we would do without her..."  
  
"Let's not worry about that day," Souichi said   
gently. "It may yet be a long time before I have a  
wife to help with her...by then, she will probably  
be an adult herself."  
  
Setsuna looked into Souichi's blue eyes. "I'm sure  
there is someone who would be more than happy to   
be your wife."  
  
He smiled and his eyes softened. "Such as?"  
  
'Oh, oh, oh!!! Me, me, me!!!' Setsuna's inner   
voice exclaimed. She opened her mouth to reply but  
the waiter arrived with their meal and Hotaru   
returned to the table. 'Baka, baka, baka!' she   
scolded herself. 'You should have said something!'  
  
Setsuna busied herself tasting the wine so that   
maybe Souichi wouldn't try to continue their   
conversation. Maybe she should have said something  
to him...What if this was her one chance to end   
her lifetimes of loneliness?... What if she had   
just completely blew that one chance?  
  
Hotaru did her best to keep the conversation going  
during dinner. She talked about her perfect marks   
in all her classes...except her physical education  
class that is.  
  
"Maybe I should see about getting you a doctor's   
note so that you do not have to take that class,"   
Souichi suggested. "Perhaps they could put you in   
an art or music class..."  
  
"Really Papa?" Hotaru said hopefully.  
  
"Of course," Souichi replied, putting his hand on   
top of Hotaru's head.  
  
After they finished their meal, Souichi offered   
his free hand to help Setsuna out of her chair and  
then did the same for his daughter. Usagi and   
Mamoru were once again gazing into each other's   
eyes.  
  
"Puu...can I come home with you and Hotaru?"   
Chibiusa asked with a bored sigh.  
  
"I'm staying at my Papa's house tonight," Hotaru   
said, looking up at her Papa.  
  
"Your friend may stay," Souichi smiled.  
  
"Usagi," Chibiusa called. Usagi... Mamo-chan?...   
Hello?!" She sighed. "Do you have a pen and a   
piece of paper?"  
  
Souichi supplied a pen and small piece of paper,   
Chibiusa scribbled a note and left it where her   
future parents could find it. The pink haired girl  
hopped out of her seat and took Hotaru's hand.   
"That should do it," Chibiusa smiled.  
  
~@~@~@~@~  
  
Setsuna sighed as she looked up at Souichi. He was  
dropping her off at her home before taking Hotaru   
and Chibiusa to his own home for the night. The   
moonlight gave his white hair a soft, silvery   
glow.  
  
"Thank you Souichi-san," Setsuna said softly once   
they reached the door. "I enjoyed spending time   
with you and Hotaru this evening."  
  
"You are welcome Setsuna-san," he replied. "We   
should do it again some other time..."  
  
Both of them glanced back at his mercedes. Two   
small faces were pressed against the window,   
looking on with interest. Hotaru quickly hid a   
sign that instructed "Kiss her Papa!!!!" when she   
noticed they had looked at the car.  
  
Souichi took Setsuna's hand and softly kissed it.   
"Will you be at the lab in the morning?"  
  
"Bright and early," Setsuna replied.  
  
"As always..." Souichi added with a gentle smile.  
  
"See you then," Setsuna assured.  
  
"Hai..."  
  
"Hai."  
  
They gazed into each other's eyes for a long   
moment, then lightly laughed. It was becoming very  
obvious that they were either both shy or there   
was no feelings beyond friendship for the two.  
  
'I guess I took his words wrong...' Setsuna   
thought then began to hunt for her key in her   
purse. 'I guess I shouldn't have expected much   
anyway...it's always been my destiny to be   
alone...'  
  
Souichi lifted her chin and lowered his lips to   
her own. They both ignored the "Yay!" that came   
from the car as the kiss deepened. They slowly   
pulled away from each other when the front door   
opened.  
  
"See you tomorrow Setsuna-chan," Souichi   
whispered, then kissed her cheek.  
  
Setsuna smiled brightly and nodded. She was too   
excited to say anything. She leaned against the   
door frame and watched as Souichi walked back to   
his car. He gave her one last smile before getting  
in his car and slowly driving off.  
  
She slowly turned to see Haruka and Michiru   
standing in the doorway. "Have fun?" Michiru   
asked. Setsuna gave a smile and nod then slowly   
walked up tp her room. She fell onto her bed   
without changing for bed. Eventually sleep found   
her and carried her away to a place made of   
dreams, wishes, and Professor Tomoe...and she   
couldn't wait for the morning to come.  
  
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~  
  
  
So, whadda think? An enquiring writer wants to   
know!  
  
It took A LOT of research to find it, but the name  
Prof. Tomoe gave Setsuna IS the name Naoko-sama   
gave him.  
  



End file.
